Will's+letter

March 18 1865

Dear family and friends,

I am saying this to tell you that I am safe and that I have been in a terrible accident I was in the Sultana. I have lost an arm I will explain that later.

You might have heard of the Sultana. If you haven’t the Sultana was a medium-sized steam boat. By law the Sultana could only carry 376 people. But it was carrying a colossal amount of 2500 people. The boilers broke about 10 miles north of Memphis there was a gigantic explosion. Showers of steaming hot coals flew in all directions. I violently fell off the ship. When I fell my arm caught on the boat and painfully ripped off. On the ship there were no life jackets or life boats so those who could not swim drowned. Many of my friends died like Johnny Arnold Alex Joe and Commander Rex. They died because they were sick and too weak to swim other didn’t know how to swim. I swam south to Memphis and got help. They immediately helped me when they saw that I had lost an arm and that there was smoke in the distance.

I am currently in the hospital in Memphis. Tomorrow I will buy a wagon and two horses and travel to New York I plan to be there by September.

Sincerely Will Waddell

Dear Will, We all miss you. I am so sad that you were in an accident. We will get your room ready for you. I can not belive that you lost a limb. Everyone in the town has been sending flowers so our house smells so good. What hospital are you in Mephis? I want to come and visit you.I hope everything is going well in the hospital. Write back to me if any thing happens. I miss you so much. I hope you get better soon.Can't wait to see you. I thought you had died in the civil war because you did not write back to my 25 letters I sent you. Is everyone ok from the civil war or did a lot of your friends die? Is Oliver ok or did he lose a limb to? How many people died from your team? Did you get shot? IF anything bad happened that you did not tell me please write it too me in your next letter? How much does the wagon cost and how much money do you have? Why were all your friends sick or weak and you weren't? Did you stay with your friends in the war or did you go hide alone? Is your arm getting better? Are you going to need surgrey? Are you going to be in a cast? Sorry I have so many questions and all the towns people have a lot of questions to that they want to ask you. I hope you do not mind. Also, I have a $20 in this envelope that you can use for anything. If you need any more money then just send me a letter and i will send it to you. Love, your family and friends